New ramp connections opened at Route 70 intersection with Shorrock Street in LakewoodMajor reconstruction work at

Garden State Parkway Interchange 88 progresses

(Trenton) - NJDOT and New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) officials today announced the opening of two new jughandle ramps at the Route 70 intersection with Shorrock Street this week in Lakewood, Ocean County. The reconfigured intersection will comprise a portion of the new, more expansive Garden State Parkway Interchange 88 being built by NJTA.

NJTA’s contractor, Earle Asphalt Company, has closed the old jughandle ramp from Route 70 westbound to Shorrock Street/Route 70 eastbound and shifted traffic onto a new exit ramp that provides the same movements but with a longer - and safer - queue than the previous configuration.

Similarly, the existing jughandle ramp from Route 70 eastbound to Route 70 westbound (which merges with Shorrock Street northbound) has been replaced with a new, longer ramp that again provides the same movements with a longer queue for safer merge movements. The new ramp ties into Shorrock Street further to the south, giving more length for motorists to merge left and make the U-turn movement to Route 70 westbound.

The NJTA is reconstructing the bridges over Route 70 as part of a $70 million contract to widen the GSP to restore full roadway shoulders between milepost 83 and milepost 90 in Ocean County. The work at this location also involves a reconfiguration and expansion of Interchange 88. Construction began in February and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.